These days, in colloquial speech, you might hear someone say “bear with me” as they finish telling a story or stand in line looking for their debit card. The idiom takes its root from asking someone to carry the burden of being patient until they reach their destination. To bear is actually an old verb meaning to carry, with a connection to Greek pherein and Latin ferre. While the idiom can be found in Shakespeare’s works, he didn’t invent the expression - its use is simply a reflection of contemporary speech during the Elizabethan era. In the Shakespear play, “Julius Caesar”, we hear Antony utter the infamous words, “Bear with me My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar.” People often think the phrase bear with me comes from Shakespeare’s work. To help you remember the right spelling for different contexts, it’s useful to dive into the origin of the expression. Take a look at these examples for a correct and incorrect example of the phrase in action:Īs for the phrase bear in mind, it’s used to ask someone to keep something in mind, “remember something”, “be aware” or “take something into account.” What is the origin of bear with me? If you write the phrase bare with me, your readers may misunderstand your intentions.
Defined as lacking appropriate covering or clothing, the word bare means naked, undressed, or unclothed. The verb to bare actually means to uncover or reveal something. Since it contains the word bear, it makes it easier to remember the correct expression.īare with me is in fact an incorrect spelling of the expression. It’s essentially a request for forbearance - a noun that means tolerance or self-control. The verb bear means to tolerate or to endure something.īear with me is an expression that means to be patient or to hear someone out. If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.Which is correct - bear with me or bare with me?Īlthough we mentioned above that bear and bare have totally different meanings, it’s helpful to closely examine how and when you might use each word. We apologise for the inconvenience and ask you to bear with us. Example: ‘Bear with us’ in a sentenceThe servers are down temporarily. The phrase can also become the plural bear with us when the speaker represents a group or organisation. Examples: ‘Bearing with me’ in a sentenceThank you for bearing with me.Īfter bearing with me for a moment, you’ll be able to access your account. It occurs, for example, when you’re thanking someone for their patience or referring to the action in general (rather than in the imperative).
Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text.īearing with me is a version of the phrase with the participle ‘bearing’. Examples: ‘Please bear with me’ in a sentence Please bear with me while I try to locate you in our system.Ĭould you bear with me for a moment, please? Another way to soften the phrase is to formulate it as a question, potentially also with ‘please’. Please bear with me has the same meaning as the basic phrase, but it’s more polite. ‘Bear’ (not ‘bare’) is also used in the phrase ‘ bear in mind‘. Note ‘Bear’ and ‘bare’ should not be confused in general, and nor should the two past participle forms of ‘bear’: ‘born’ and ‘borne’. You’ll have to bear with me while I try to fix the problem.You’ll have to bare with me while I try to fix the problem.‘Bare’ is usually an adjective it can also function as a verb meaning ‘uncover’, but that wouldn’t make sense in this expression.
‘Bear’ is used as a verb meaning ‘carry’ or ‘endure’ in this expression (not as a noun referring to the animal). ‘Bare with me’ is often mistakenly used instead of bear with me, but it’s incorrect and should be avoided.
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